


The cat with two names

by emmadilla



Series: 30 Day OTP Challenge [10]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Canon Disabled Character, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, First Pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 14:25:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17530409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmadilla/pseuds/emmadilla
Summary: After Dick and Barbara move in together, they start contemplating the expansion of their little familial unit.





	The cat with two names

**Author's Note:**

> 30 Day OTP Challenge
> 
> Day 10: First Pet

It had taken a lot of back and forth between Dick and Barbara, a lot of debate on if they even wanted to get a pet. Barbara was used to having an animal around, Dick not so much. Interfered with the whole crime fighting thing. Criminals weren’t exactly going to let him return home to walk the dog, after all. But Babs was persistent, wanting _some kind_ of companion, and eventually Dick gave in. He couldn’t really say no to her forever, anyway, especially now since her run in with the Joker, she wasn’t out on the streets fighting crime anymore. She helped, of course, behind the scenes, in whatever way she could. But her days as Batgirl were over. She was firmly in her role as Oracle now.

 

Of course, after they finally agreed to get a pet, what _kind_ of pet was the next debate. A dog was obviously the top contender, but Dick didn’t want to put the burden of making sure it was taken out all the time on Barbara. Not that she couldn’t do it - she did anything she set her mind to, after all - but there was just a small part of him that was not comfortable with forcing her to do that when he was out on patrol. The next logical option, then, was a cat, and after a lot of going back and forth they both decided that a cat was the best option for them. Fairly low maintenance, easy for both of them to take care of no matter what was going on, and common enough that they wouldn’t have to really go _hunting_ for their new edition. That was really one of their sticking points, was that while they knew that having a pet was a responsibility that would have an impact on their lives and schedules, they knew that a higher maintenance pet would not be a good fit and they wanted to be able to transition to their new lives and schedules pretty quickly. Planning was essential to their life, so if they weren’t able to come around and figure it out, they’d likely back out of it entirely.

 

And so they found themselves at the local animal shelter the day after they finally decided to go through with it, and boy was there ever a selection for them to look through. They hadn’t quite been prepared for that, but they dutifully went through their options. The ages ranged from kittens to senior cats, in all colours of the rainbow, healthy and disabled alike. They visited with a few, just to get a feel of their personality, and while they were initially thinking of going with a kitten or a younger cat in general, they both eventually found themselves drawn to one in particular.

 

He wasn’t a very handsome cat, with scraggly orange fur and a smooshed face. He was missing an eye and several teeth - those that remained stuck out at odd angles - and he was at least ten years old, if not older. At first, he had just cowered in the back of the cage, but when Dick stuck his fingers through the bars and whistled gently, his ears had perked up and he had tentatively sniffed. It took a little while of encouraging before he finally approached the front of the cage and allowed Dick to rub behind his ears. His purr was loud and rough, but Dick was immediately smitten with him, the little ragamuffin.

 

“Hey, Barbara, come look at this one!” he exclaimed, his heart already melting even though he hadn’t had a chance to even hold him yet. One of the volunteers let him out of his cage and he settled right into Dick’s arms as Barbara rolled her chair over to them.

 

She was … a little bit harder to convince. Picking up his placard, she wondered, “Are you sure? he looks sick or something.”

 

“Nah, just a lifetime of rough living,” he assured as the cat purred away in his arms.

 

She looked over his card thoroughly, she ran through all the available info, but he was indeed good health. He smelled just fine, he only looked dirty and unkempt, like he’d just been plucked from a dumpster. Sighing, she said, “I dunno … you sure he’s not gonna be too much work for us?”

 

“C’mon, Babs, he’s a cuddle monster.”

 

She eyed him, tentatively reaching out to pet him, and when she did he opened his one good eye and looked at her as he purred away. That was it, Barbara was on board. The staff tried to push them toward some of the younger, cuter cats, but neither of them would be swayed, and the more options presented the more sure they were in their decision. They filled out all the required paperwork and paid the fee, the only thing left to do, really, was to name him.

 

And, of course, there they hit the second point of contention. Barbara wanted something a little more _classic_ , but Dick wanted to name him based on his looks. “But why not Mr. Crackers?” he protested. “He looks just like a mushed up goldfish!”

 

Barbara rolled her eyes. “That’s really the best you can come up with, Dick? What’s wrong with Chester?”

 

“Chester sounds old.”

 

“He _is_ old.”

 

“Not like _that_. Chester sounds like an old guy you’d find hanging out at a yacht club, drinking a gin and tonic and reminiscing about the old days before they pop a tums and complain about the economy giving them heartburn.”

 

“That’s … rather specific. And ridiculous.”

 

“Ridiculous or not, it just doesn’t suit him. He has a lot more personality than that.”

 

“What, the personality of a goldfish?”

 

“ _Yes_!”

 

They eyed each other for a silent few minutes before Barbara put her hands on her wheels. “His name is Chester, and that’s that.” She didn’t even give him an opportunity to argue as she turned around and rolled away to finish signing the papers.

 

Grumbling, Dick scratched underneath the cat’s chin and mumbled, “Don’t worry, Mr. Crackers, we both know your real name.”

 

Neither Dick nor Barbara ever spoke of it again. And if the cat happened to end up with two separate name tags, well, then that was just the way it was.


End file.
